Ukase

There's nothing deep about the water that is RHW. It's super trivial now, if folks can maneuver their characters to avoid the AoE crackle. And, even if you can't, the rebirth and barrier buffs almost guarantee you can live through a couple of ticks until you can get out of the way - unless of course, you don't get out of the way. I remember in the Army, there was a test I was given on the Bradley Turret. You had to literally stick a paper clip or a pin in a tiny hole from outside the turret, and then, go in the turret and activate some controls to slew a certain direction a certain number of degrees. But, if the pin/clip didn't stay inserted all the way, you wouldn't hear this beep and you wouldn't be able to verify a certain condition. The problem was, you couldn't be sure the pin was inserted all the way until you came back out of the turret. I failed this test. Not because I didn't know what steps to take, but because the steps gave me trouble. A big chap like myself, climbing in and out of a tiny turret, over and over - not my strong suit. I look at RHW the same way. Most folks know exactly what to do, they just have trouble doing it. That doesn't make the water deep, just makes some folks poor swimmers.

Vendor common salvage if you must. Vendoring uncommon and rare salvage is just ...well, nothing I would ever do, particularly given the silly marketing thing going on with uncommon salvage. But, you're gonna do what you're gonna do. Me telling you that you're taking supply of uncommon out of the game that could be used by other players for a fair price is just going to fall on deaf ears. Just don't ever complain that prices are high, because it's vendoring inventory that could be placed on AH that causes upward pressure in prices. Supply and demand and all that jazz.

Well, it seems to narrow it down to a CoT arc of some fashion, presumably in the level 30 range.

That's really quite clever, and useful. I appreciate your taking the time to create it. My one question - at the bottom of the list, "Soul Crystal". I can't say I recall that one crossing my radar before. My search on the HC wiki further verified my ignorance. How would I get that one?

How is it painful? Lug over 10 salvage at a time, choose a list price and wait to collect. Rather painless and simple.

Here's the lowdown on Cosmic Council: They will invite anyone that wants to join, except for certain folks that somehow have gotten on their naughty list. But, in order to join, you have to visit the Discord, via invite: https://discord.gg/DVksJ4N Once you get there - you should investigate the Public Welcome and Rules channel (seen on the left when using a PC) And in there, you will see this: The bad news is - ordinary members, nor senior members may extend an invitation to you. This privilege/burden is reserved for High Council members. (I don't think they're stoned, pretty sure that's just the highest rank.) So, you once you post in the gateway that you have read and agree to the rules, one of them SHOULD get with you within 24-48 hours. There are 4 HC members. It's rare that one of them doesn't log in on any given day. Granted, if your play time is out of alignment with when they log in, it can be more difficult to get the invite, but I would expect them to reach out via tell and determine when a good time for you to accept the invite would be. If you're someone that is curious about who some of these people are, and are wary of joining, I would encourage you to try and join the Really Hard Way Magisterium efforts on Saturday nights, at 9PM Eastern. NOT THIS JULY 2nd, holiday weekend! SG folks get invited a few minutes before the general public, but usually, a member will drop to make room for a non-sg member that would like to do the iTrial. All you have to do is show up in Echo Plaza (reached via Long Range Teleporter, or the van on Hero side in Pocket D. ) If you lack the threads to get the requisite super inspirations, someone will provide them at no cost to you. If you aren't quite t-4 in Lore, then I suggest you join us for the Cathedral of Pain effort on Mondays in Pocket D. (9:30pm Eastern) The good parts about the SG rules are (in my opinion) - there's really no minimal activity required. If you don't play very often, you might find yourself removed to make room for other folks who want to join, but all you have to do is reach out when you return to get an invite. Once you join, you'll get set up in the discord, and you will be given an invite to the Private Cosmic Council chat channel - which you can use/observe even when you're on a different shard, or a different character that's not in the SG. And, your characters that aren't in the SG can still participate in any events.

It's much easier with two accounts, but you can sell a non-attuned IO and buy an attuned IO of the exact same type for the same price - but it requires one character to sell it at a price where someone else doesn't have a high enough bid for it, and your other character can bid high enough to get it. For example, the attuned Luck of the Gambler 7.5% global recharge. My farmer may get a few of these after each run, when done crafting and converting. I can log in another character, and bid lowball bids and determine just where the bid is actually at ...almost. Remember, I do want an attuned version, and I already have a non-attuned. So, worst case, I get one cheaper than I thought, and can simply list the non-attuned for a price that I think it will sell at. It doesn't have to the same, it can be a bit more, or a bit less. Totally up to me. Sometimes, I'll do this for a large number of them, just for convenience's sake and stash 50 to 100 of them in my base. With the rule of 5, and leveling a character usually once a week, every few months or so, I'll need more. There's no need to use a catalyst for this action, unless it's just out of convenience.

Sigh..once again, I fail at expressing my question. What's the difference between this and the /enterbasefrompasscode passcode-12345 ? I don't see one. EnterbasefromSGID seems to be the exact same thing as Enterbasefrompasscode, as far as functionality goes. Again, maybe I'm missing something.

Temp power recipes are not in this flavor of CoH. They are in Rebirth, I know, but not here. Which is fine, because most of those temp powers are available at p2w and you don't have to rely on the RNG.

Oh, the joy of packs! The tedium of clicking on hundreds of them! There's a clever chap who was kind enough to go to the test server and acquire and open hundreds of these packs and compiled a list of what you're likely to get in a given pack. @Bopper and @Faultline have done the grunt work here, so I take no credit. The long and short of it is: with Hero/Villain packs, you can make inf, but not a great deal. With Winter Packs, those of us who bought a ton of them at 10M 2 years ago when they were on sale, and this past year (Winter/Christmas time) on sale for 15M are making a figurative killing. But, even at 25M, you can make a tidy sum of about 5-10M per pack, possibly more, depending on RNG blessings.

Yes. What you're missing is the actual USE of the converters. 100 merits gets you 300 converters, as you mentioned. But let's go with your version of 143 converters lying around. But...what if...what if, as I'm playing my character, I get various uncommon & rare recipes & salvage drops, and then opt to craft those recipes, regardless of what they are, and whether I can use them or not? Given (ya just have to trust me on this) the average use of 15 converters per try to turn something fairly useless like a Perplex into something useful like ...an Oblit, or a Perf Shifter proc or something that routinely sells for 2-4M, I can reasonably take 9 IOs and make 27M. That's better than the sale of the 143 converters*70,000=10,010,000 Mind you, sometimes, the sales may take a little longer, and crafting/converting of 9 recipes isn't instant. But it doesn't take that long, either. The folks in this game that have the most influence are the folks that USE converters, not sell them or trade them. Anyone that tells you differently doesn't understand math.

So, the thing is - when you have the base entry selection window open - why would you click a macro or use a keybind when you could just enter the base as normal? Not sure I see any advantage beyond the base tp.

That's interesting! I'm sure you've already put in some sort of a petition or bug report, just to let them know, but I'd just burn 3 more converters and then if you like, I can trade you any purple you like for the proc that you can actually use. (although I suspect you've already addressed this)

Lord help me, Spindisc, that avatar of yours...truly gruesome!

For me, the reason they sometimes get it is because they generally want to buy enhancements. I would rather team with someone that had begged for and gotten the inf for enhancements than the player who doesn't have enhancements. I realize that's probably rewarding bad behavior, but it's not like it's real money.

I remember a well-intentioned farmer a few months ago. I was on a re-roll of a character, so I knew the powersets, already had the build in mids, and was actually about to go to Faultline AE and PL myself on an alt account. But, curiosity got the best of me, and I figured I might see if this player was any good at farming, at least compared to my own afk-farmer. The xp was maybe a touch faster, but I saw the farmer with alt account giving him buffs, so figured him for someone who really didn't understand how to build a farmer for solo work. And, I could be wrong in that assessment. But, the thing that stuck out to me was he/she had told me to get the 2xp buff. I shared with him that I would rather have the inf. I didn't want to be level 25 with only the inf from the sales of whatever dropped. (which to be fair is usually about 4M - enough for level 25 SOs. ) Not that I needed the inf, or that I really wanted it - I wanted to hear why he was pushing the sitters to get it. I never did get an explanation, other than he/she felt like if folks were going to sit, they might as well get as much XP as they could. There was never a caveat about learning to understand/play your character. There was never a reminder that they wouldn't make any influence using 2xp buff. So, I felt like this was poor form. I mean, it's nice enough to offer a spot on your farm, but I think it does a dis-service to newer players. And if you aren't checking to see who's new, then might you be setting someone up for failure? Being level 25 or so, with just a few million from the drops, with no reward merits, no exploration badges, no history of teaming with other folks, you're kind of at a dis-advantage, not really knowing anything about how your character should be played. (unless it's something you've done before - and in that context, no worries from me) The only annoying thing I've ever experience from those who get PL'd are their ignorance of where zones outside of Atlas and Pocket D are, and showing up to TFs unslotted because they just left the farm and don't have the funds to get enhancements, and honestly, they wouldn't know if they should slot for endurance or recharge, because they've never learned how much endurance their armor might use. As someone else mentioned - that has more to do with being an inexperience player than being a sitter. But, because the two were combined, the result is pretty sad.

AE can be a nice change of pace from the same content that's been available (while the game was running) for years. It's not all about the XP. I like it for the vet levels and resulting emp merits. I don't care about the inf. I already have that. I just want the emp merits, and they're low hanging fruit in AE because of the ease in leveling.

I'm on the fence a bit. First, it does require influence to craft recipes into IOs. Second, it all depends on how you define "gameplay". I like the market and the invention system. If we're going to ask to save time, we might as well ask for the instant 50 again, as well as instant transcendent merits to fully incarnate. (denied on both counts!) But then - we've taken away all the figurative carrots for a number of players; there will be no further reason for them to play the game. Nobody has put a syringe of Supradine to your neck forcing you to craft. If you'd rather not - simply don't. For me, it's cheaper to craft a recipe and convert it than it is for me to buy the IO I would want. Now, if I get a crafted set enhancement drop instead of the recipe, I suppose I could see the logic in that. That would probably take a lot of stress of the AH, not having to track invention salvage anymore. But I'd be a bit bummed having a couple of characters with a boatload of the stuff stashed in the AH for when I need to craft stuff. What would I do with it all? I guess what I don't see is how it would save me time. I'd still have to convert the damn thing to what I want.

I've mentioned this before, and it's not marketing, it's farming. But, converters are essentially free if you are willing to blow through emp merits. I have multiple accounts. Two on Indomitable now because of the low population there. One farmer will PL the alt to vet level 48. (and, I recycle the farmer - at vet level 48, I respec twice, stashing the IOs in a bin, and then the other account will PL the new brute to 50. ) As I read that, it probably sounds confusing. Account 1 - generic alt created just for emp accumulation Account 2 - Farmer acct 1 Account 3 - Farmer Acct 2. At night, when I'm not playing, The farmer with the lowest vet level will PL the alt on account 1. The other farmer remains idle. (it didn't use to do so, but now, there's no need) When I am playing, Farmer 1 will PL the next alt for when Farmer 2 gets too many vet levels. So, in case you're not aware, every 3 vet levels you get a number of emp merits, that diminish as you get more levels. My afk farm timer suggests it's about a wash for emps/run through a map I use, so stopping at vet level 48 is about as efficient for me as stopping at vet level 24. The reason is because the respec and slotting of the new brute takes a little bit of time. May as well go to vet level 48. I convert the emp merits to reward merits, and ultimately to converters - so they are free. But they do cost time.

As Yomo states, flipping may have different meanings for different folks. I sometimes regard flipping as a desperate, lazy man move. I look upon such acts with disdain because they add nothing to the equation. They merely take advantage of fellow players who were in a hurry, or had no concern about the inf they would get in return, but worse, they take advantage of the player who knows no better and they pay more than they otherwise should. I strongly suspect if it weren't for flippers pretty much all the IOs we see in the AH would sell for about 15-20% less. Those superior winter-os you may see that sell for 20M are likely relisted for somewhere between 25-30M. On the other hand, these rascals that list items for 1 inf and claim to have all they need should be taken advantage of; they do know better but are not concerned about the time and effort other marketers put into crafting, converting and selling. So, an argument can be made for either side. By them listing low, they allow other players to profit from their disdain of market tactics. And often, the folks that make that profit pay it forward, thus making it a win for the community, at least in some fashion. So, a practical example, not to be confused with a realistic one, but it certainly could happen. Luck of the Gambler 7.5% recharge IOs - these gems are fairly stable in supply. There was a time when they would sell for 8M fairly routinely. Now, market pressures have reduced this price to 7M typically. But, lately, they've been selling for under 6M. Not sure why. But, suppose I also sell these? And I look in the AH and notice that instead of these selling for my usual asking price, they aren't selling at all. I click "Find" to see that they've been selling for less than 6M. I shrug my shoulders and have several choices: I can buy as many as the market will allow me for this cheap price, only the attuned kind, and stash them in my base for future alts. Thus, I grab the bargains off the shelf, leaving my "normally priced" items that are slightly higher. (and this is what I did. I bought about 70 of them and they are stashed in my base.) OR I can just wait. Someone will buy the bargains and eventually mine will get sold. OR I can buy all of them. I think the count was at 1500 or so. I'd have to check again to remind my feeble memory. I mean it, I could buy all of them, regardless of price and relist them at what I believe they should cost - 7M, not 6M. But that's risky, because several savvy marketers are in that space. Someone like Yomo catches wind of that - he'll suffer through the character email lag as best he can and accumulate hundreds, if not thousands of those IOs and dump them at a price less than mine. Or, he may go one step further and buy all of them at my price, and relist them for even more. No telling with that rascal. Odds are though, he would have more fun undercutting my price, taking a temporary loss and eventually gaining it back over time by squeezing other folks out by paying more than what others might for the recipes that would convert into LotG, pinching the level 25 defensive IO recipes that aren't lotg, and the ones that are, and further, quite possibly gobbling up every level 25 recipe in game if they're not priced entirely too high for his margin comfort. And, well regardless of what the response would be to what I might do, or what he might do, or anyone else might do, there are enough ways to get the lotg that it would be temporary. Still, that's my idea of a flip. Buy all of one IO at a price only to relist them at a higher price.

Thank you. This very comment just reminded me that a player could revoke it at P2W. So, while I guess you can't delete it, you can revoke it. I don't think it gives any inf back, though. In this context, though, I'm okay with that. You may have interpreted some attempt by me to dismiss how you or others choose to play. That is not the case. But it is the case that I often have no idea how others specifically play. I have made challenge characters that did without these temp powers, because they were back in the way-back machine, pretending IOs and such didn't exist. Some characters only slotted what dropped. Sold the rest, and bought nothing from anyone, with gifts and trades disallowed. And if they got defeated, they got deleted. So, I can grasp why some might not want a free temp power on every character. But that wouldn't stop someone from switching to a character that might want it. I am just trying to be helpful, after all.

So, you just glossed over my character that showed 1580 (and that was last year with a lower badge count than it has now? As stated previously, I'm not about to do Sister Solaris' arc 4-500 times. (there's a 5th badger of mine that still has a little work to do, but I'm taking some time off from badging. I need a break, lol)

Is there some reason why you wouldn't want a free power that saves you time to play more of the game you presumably enjoy? I completely get that some folks are accustomed to riding a turtle a dozen miles and enjoy the scenery. And that's you're right. I would have no plans to just dump the power on unsuspecting players. I'd basically stand under Atlas and shout in broadcast that anyone that wants it can have it. This isn't necessarily about me having teammates that can help me finish a tf faster, although that's a plus. It's about an inf sink. I have enough inf now where if all my builds on each character slot cost me 500M, I can get it. And I promise you, with all the character email I have with Winter-Os and ATOs, there is no build that's gonna cost me even close to that much. And, as a side note, if someone were to drop something on you that you didn't ask for and don't want, you should be able to right-click and delete it.

Regarding origin, I've felt like there should be a reason to choose one origin over another. And a reason to not choose that one, and choose the other one, and then the next. I don't think it can be a power buff, or folks would opt to choose the "best" one, and that's all they'd ever choose. What struck me was the Spelunker badge. On live, before Ouro, you'd have to be of Magic Origin to get this mission from a magic contact. Haley, Hugo or Trevor. And, it really galled me that if I opted to go a different origin because I'd forgotten about needing Spelunker for Atlas medallion, I'd have to pay close attention to chat. Back then, it was kind of like the Patron pools are now - offered up fairly often, but somehow, not always when you were ready for it. Having to rely on people in the community to offer these types of badge missions always rubbed me the wrong way. I never understood how Jack Emmert thought when it came to teaming. Most folks jump in a game to get away from the world, and Jack deliberately made it so I would have to engage with people. But, I digress. Teaming and getting to know other players is ultimately the glue that keeps the game going. There could be a specific mission that would require any AT, any powerset, any level - but one of each origin. That might be interesting, depending on the mission. At least then, folks would look at origin. But it should be more than that, and unfortunately, I'm not thinking of anything.

I am referring primarily to Team Transport. But, if I'm gonna give that away, I'd give away all the others, too, unless they don't need/want them. And yes, I sure could just give them all 10M inf. But then, I wouldn't know if they actually bought it. They might do something else with it. This is why I don't believe Cash is one size fits all in real life. Some people are foolish with their money - like one of my twin daughters. Crazy, one is super wise with it, the other is just foolish and drives me insane. Once, I formed a team for a shard TF and got trolled by someone, who accepted the inf, claimed to have gotten the power, and then when it was their turn to use it, they claimed something like, "Well, I got it, but I don't know where it is." Me: Press the word Powers and look in that list on the right. It should be in there. Them: I don't see it. Me: Dude, I gave you 10M to buy it. How is it that you don't see it? Them: I dunno. I don't see it. I had to laugh to keep from crying. I mean, 10m is chump change. But when you're on a 16 mission task force, you want all the team teleports you can get!